Wonder and Murder in Paris

I know that Seattle hosted a world's fair less than 50 years ago, but somehow I always think of them as being from an earlier time.  They create an image of wonder and excitement that hardly seems possible in our era.  That is why I picked up Murder on the Eiffel Tower, by Claude Izner. The story is set in Paris in 1889, with the Paris Exposition as the scene.  The Eiffel Tower is new, and people flock to see this technological wonder.  While on such a visit, a young woman collapses and dies, and bookseller Victor Legris becomes involved in the investigation of her murder.  Victor is not an experienced sleuth, and as more people die, he begins to suspect everyone--even the man who is as close to him as a father.  His investigation takes him to the Exposition again and again, allowing us to experience this historic event through his eyes while he strings together clues to find the killer.

The book is written under the pen name Claude Izner by two French sisters who are second-hand booksellers and experts on 19th-century Paris.  With this knowledge they re-create the atmosphere of the 1889 Paris Exposition in detail, and give Victor credibility as the owner of a used book shop.  The mystery is satisfying, but it is the window into Parisian history that will appeal to Francophiles, history buffs, and fans of fairs and expositions. 

This is the first book in a series, but the only one to have been released in the U.S. so far.  While you are waiting for more, you might try Cara Black's series featuring Aimee Leduc, beginning with Murder in the Marais, which is also set in Paris (though in the mid-1990s), or French author Pierre Magnan's series with Commissaire Laviolette, set in Provence and starting with Death in the Truffle Wood.